(lively music)
- We're in Inglewood, California.
We're gonna eat a bunch of vegan soul food.
- Let me tell you somethin' about soul food, okay.
- So Daisha here, is in another video right now.
She's doing a 30 day vegan food challenge.
- What do I know about soul food?
I think mac and cheese.
I think fried chicken.
I think cornbread.
(lively music)
- Inglewood, like many low income areas
of Los Angeles, really struggles
to feed people quality, healthy foods.
- Oh, welcome to Stuff I Eat.
- Babette opened this restaurant in 2008
to try and combat that issue.
She's inspiring the community
to understand food they love
in a broader context.
- I think we should put it on you
to come up with a rubric.
- This is all based around a party
in your mouth, all right?
So the first thing is a Shindig.
If things are, "Oh wow, this is great."
"I'd probably eat this on my own time,
"but I'm not, like, in love,"
that is a Kickback.
Then the next level up
is a House Party.
- House party.
- All right, house party.
And then if we are just completely,
completely blown away,
all it is is just a Rave.
(beeping)
- So is this your very first soul food,
vegan soul food platter?
Really?
So first of all, let me describe
exactly what you have on this plate.
- [Daisha] This is vegan?
- This is all vegan, 100% vegan.
Kale greens, black-eyed peas.
We've got mac and cheese.
- [Voiceover] Vegan.
- Vegan.
Barbecue tofu.
Get a little coleslaw
and potato salad.
You've got some gluten-free cornbread
and your yams.
- Ready, go!
- [Voiceover] Collin, you're an animal Collin.
- [Collin] I am an animal.
(lively music)
- Yes.
Oh my God.
This mac and cheese is so good.
- Yeah, I wouldn't say it tastes like,
you know, like traditional mac and cheese.
- She's not trying to imitate
regular soul food mac and cheese.
She's, like, made it her own
and it's amazing.
- Everyday, I'd eat this everyday.
- The mac and cheese is a House Party for me.
- I think this is a House Party for tofu.
- I've never had tofu before.
- What? - Like, I've never had tofu.
In my mind, it's always been like,
- [Voiceover] Weird.
- scary and weird, yeah.
- Did y'all have this coleslaw?
This is a Rave.
- The coleslaw's amazing - The coleslaw's a Rave.
(beeping)
- [Voiceover] Daisha, Daisha (unintelligible) eat right.
Steven.
- My plate, almost done.
- [Voiceover] Freddy, pick up the pace, Freddy.
- I'm comin', I'm comin', I'm comin'.
- What's your definition of, like,
a balanced meal?
- That.
- This?
- What did you expect me to say? (laughing)
So when we first moved over here,
I introduced the Soul Food Platter.
It was only going to be a special.
A couple of the local residents came in.
They had the Soul Food Platter
and they liked it
and then I didn't have it, like, the next day.
And they were like, "Well, what happened to that?"
And I'm like, "Well, it was just a special."
They walked out.
That happened several times,
several weeks in a row
and we just made the Soul Food Platter
a part of the menu
and I think that's how
we became the vegan soul food restaurant.
- Why did you want to open in Inglewood?
- I live down the street.
First of all, every time I wanted a decent
vegan meal, I had to drive across town.
There are a lot of health conscious people
living in this community.
The rent was amazing.
I'm not paying $20,000 a month for rent.
Miss me Beverly Hills.
And they needed me here.
They needed this situated right here
where it is and why not?
Why not a good vegan restuaruant
in my community?
- So since you've been here,
have you noticed that more people
from the neighborhood have started to come?
- Oh definitely. - Like people who aren't vegan
who just come for the food?
- Most of my customers are not vegan.
I'm so grateful that I was introduced
to this lifestyle and made the transition.
I really am.
I started at age 40.
I'll be 65 in December.
I can still jump down and do my push ups.
I'm still running hills.
I'm not on medication.
- [Voiceover] Your life is (unintelligible)
- My life is (laughing)
my life is wonderful right now.
- You know I've never for one second
thought about becoming vegan,
but I'm actually legitimately considering it now.
Like, with how good the food is
and how good you look.
(laughing)
- If I could just say one thing,
if there are any kids out there
eating those spicy Cheetos,
maybe you shouldn't eat those things
and that's all I have to say
about spicy Cheetos.
I know we're not talking about spicy Cheetos.